Method of making gate faucet slide



A ril 26, 1966 J. c. KUCKHOFF METHOD OF MAKING GATE FAUCET SLIDE Original Filed June 12, 1962 INVENTOR.

JOIM/ C. KU(/(0FF ATTQRNEY United States Patent 3,247,582 METHOD 6F MAKENG GATE FAUCET SLIDE John Carl Kuckhofi, Syracuse, N.Y.; Carl J. Kirchhoff, Sn, Arthur W. Wilson, Sn, and Merchants National Bank & Trust Company of Syracuse, executors of said John Carl Kuckhoii, deceased, assignors to The Syracuse Stamping Co., Inc, Syracuse, N.Y., a corporation of New York Grigiual application June 12, 1962, Ser. No. 201,885, now Patent No. 3,207,470, dated Sept. 21, 1965. Divided and this application Jan. 31, 1963, Ser. No. 255,243

1 (Ilairn. (Cl. 29-1571) This application is a division of co-pending application Serial No. 201,885 filed June 12, 1962 which is now United States Patent 3,207,470.

This invention relates to gate faucets of the free flowing type employed for oil, molasses and the like, and more particularly to a method of making the valve slides employed in such gate faucets.

Gate faucets having a substantially circular discharge orifice terminating in an arcuate seat surface to which is applied an arcuate valve slide to close the orifice, and in which the slide is held against the surface under a heavy compression spring have been in common use for many years. The valve slide of such faucets are moved from an orifice covering position to an open position, by a valve operating lever or handle pivoted on the valve body on an axis coincident with the radius of the arcuate seat surface. It has long been the practice, in such valves to cast the slide thereof of brass the cost of which is exces sive. In such valves the operating lever or handle includes as a part thereof a radial outwardly extending socket to receive a compression spring which bears centrally thereof with a radially outwardly extending integral stud or projection adapted to extend into the inward end of the coil spring to center the coil spring on the slide, so that upon angular motion of the valve handle, such motion is transmitted through the spring to the valve slide for opening and closing the valve. To avoid the expense of a cast slide, various attempts have been made in the past to form the slide from heavy gage sheet material such as brass and the like to form the spring centering projection by drawing the projection from the sheet metal from which the slide would be formed. The drawing out of the metal in such manner, in an attempt to form a projection of adequate length, and yet small enough to enter the convolutions of the spring resulted in thinning the metal, and stressing the metal to such an extent as to result in defective slides with incipient cracks resulting in substantial spoilage in manufacture, and leakage through the valve slide when such cracks escaped notice during manufacture or subsequently developed during use. Since such valves are often employed for discharge of inflammable liquids, any leakage may be serious.

The present invent-ion is directed to the formation of a valve slide from heavy sheet or strip metal stock, without resort to the projection attempted heretofore, and more particularly the invention has to do with the formation of such a slide in a progressive die operation wherein the heavy sheet metal is formed to provide a circular socket for the inner end of the compression spring, and in which the formation of such socket does not thin the metal appreciably, or unduly stress the metal, and in which the annular upset metal forming the socket acts as an annular strengthening and stiffening rib or ridge, with the result that a slide of improved rigidity is formed from inexpensive sheet or strip material in a relatively economical progressive die operation. Thus the expense of a cast part is eliminated.

The above and other features of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from the following detailed 3,247,582 Patented Apr. 26, 1966 description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is expressly understood that the drawings are employed for purposes of illustration only and are not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claim.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a gate faucet having the valve slide of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the valve showing the discharge opening partially closed by the slide of the present invention, and with the operating handle cutaway;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 of FIGURE 2, but with the valve in closed position;

FIGURE 4 is a section through the valve slide taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 3.

Referring to the drawings, the main hollow body portion of the faucet which may be of cast iron or other suitable material is indicated at 20. A pipe attachment thread 22 at one end is provided exteriorly thereof and wrench flats 21 are also provided. A through passage is indicated at 24, such passage terminating in a substantially circular discharge orifice 26 in the arcuate external cylindrical end surface 28, forming the seat for the valve slide 30. Pivotally mounted on trunnions 32 on either side of the valve body is a U shaped lever having spaced arms 33, 34 and having an arcuate shell 35 overlying the valve seat. The lever has an integral handle 37, and a spring socket 38. The lever may be cast or otherwise formed of two parts, the left and right hand parts div-iding on a central plane lying transversely of the axis of r the trunnions 32. The left hand and right hand parts are secured together as by screws 36. The axis of the trunnions is concentric with the radius of the arcuate valve seat surface 28.

A valve slide 30, having an arcuate inner face 44), matching that of the arcuate seat surface 28 and of a width and length substantially greater than the diameter of the orifice 26 is provided. The valve slide is urged against the arcuate seat under heavy pressure by a compression spring 42 which bears upon the backside of the slide, and extends into the slide carrying lever handle socket 38.

In order to center the inner end of the spring on the back face of the valve slide, a circular flat bottom spring socket 44 surrounded by an annular ridge or rib of metal 46 deformed from the sheet metal of the :slide is provided. Such socket coacts with the spring so that the slide is moved or carried circumferentially on the seat upon angular movement of the valve handle, and the socket is of sufficient depth as to assure the spring end against escape therefrom. The lower end of the valve slide is inwardly curved as at 60 to cooperate with the orifice to provide an oval or rounded discharge outlet for smooth flow on partial or full discharge, and is rounded at the other end as at 62, on an are substantially concentric with the spring socket.

The annular ridge or rib is of lesser diameter than the diameter of the outlet orifice of the valve, and the valve slide, when in closed position is so disposed as to place the annular ridge concentric with the circular outlet orifice. The annular ridge, and the bottom portion of the socket, on the valve seat side, is disposed radially outwardly slightly from the seat as at 48, and the internal U section annulus 50 of metal forming the socket wall and annular rib, and the annular groove 52 inside formed thereby is such as to render to the valve slide, though made of sheet metal, the rigidity of relatively heavy expensive cast slides.

The valve slide is preferably formed of heavy strip sheet metal stock such as steel or brass. In a progressive die operation, the metal forming the annular ridge may be first pressed outwardly to form a somewhat hemispherical or dome-shaped draw, and the center thereof is subsequently formed inwardly to form the fiat bottom circular pocket. Such operations may be formed while the material is in flat strip or ribbon form, following which the strip may be severed into individual flat blanks having the annular ridge formed pocket therein. The inwardly curved arcuate end 60 and the circular end 62, by reason of the somewhat complemental curvature, avoid wastage of metal on severing successive blanks from the strip sheet stock. The severed blanks are thereafter coined to the arcuate shape as shown to provide a true cylindrical face. Subsequently each slide is lapped in upon a valve body seat surface, which has previously been machined to provide a cylindrical seat surface concentric with the trunnions, and corresponding to that of the slide, so as to mate therewith.

Suitable stops 74 and 76, cast in the side of the body coact with an integral lug 78 on the inside of one or both of the arms 33 and 34, to limit angular movement between a fully closed position and a wide open position, and an inwardly extending horn 72 on each of the left and right hand arm parts of the lever handle form a fork surrounding a heavy fin 71, integral with the body, when the valve is closed, so that a padlock disposed in the aperture 70 prevents opening of the valve.

Assembly of the parts should be readily understood from the foregoing. Once a slide has been lapped so as to mate with a valve body seat, the arms and a spring are assembled, and the valve completed. While reference to sheet, brass or steel has been made, it should be evident that any sheet material capable of being worked in the manner described may be employed to form the slide, and the rigidifying annular rib which forms the socket.

The material employed may be selected for its properties to withstand the corrosive action of any particular liquid.

While a single modification of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. As various changes in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, reference will be had to the appended claim for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

The method of making a gate faucet valve slide wholly from a single section of sheet metal comprising the steps of drawing from one side of the section a circular central area of the section to form an integral dome therein, drawing the central area of said dome in a reverse direc tion to form a relatively fiat bottom circular spring pocket ofiset slightly from said one side and surrounded by a U sectioned annular rib, coining said section to an arcuate shape over a die having a cylindrical face to form a cylindrical surface on said one side with said spring socket offset radially outwardly slightly therefrom, and lapping the cylindrical surface circumferentially on a cylindrical faucet valve slide seat to form mating surfaces of said slide seat and slide surface.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED sT TEs PATENTS 1,164,556 12/1915 Stearns 251 179 1,498,520 6/1924 Blackmore.

2,268,723 1/1942 Scherer.

2,314,105 3/1943 Rose 29-540 WHITMORE A. WILTZ, Primary Examiner.

I. D. HOBART, Assistant Examiner. 

